I can confirm that the Nikon D850 is here and retails at £3,499.99/€3,899.00 and the scheduled shipping date is 7th September 2017.
Here's the summary of the main features:
- Resolution: 45.7 megapixels of effective resolution. Richly detailed 45.4 MP files. Back-illuminated FX-format CMOS sensor with no optical low-pass filter.
- Speed: shoot at 7 fps. Or shoot full-resolution images at 9 fps when using the optional MB-D18 Multi-Power Battery Pack (with the EN-EL18B battery inserted).
- Light sensitivity: the powerful EXPEED 5 image processor delivers exceptionally clean images across the ISO range of 64–25600, extendable from 32 to 102400 (equivalent). The full ISO range is available for 4K video shooting too.
- Precision: the same phenomenal 153-point AF system as the flagship D5 offers sensitivity down to -4 EV at the central point (ISO 100, 20 °C/68 °F). Metering down to -3 EV enables precise automatic exposures even when the only light is the light of the moon.
- 4K video with no crop factor: record full-frame 4K/UHD movies at 30p, with no crop-factor limitations. Shoot more than three hours using the MB-D18 Multi-Power Battery Pack.
- In-camera 4K timelapse: film 4K timelapse movies in-camera, and harness the D850’s 45.7 effective megapixels to create spectacular 8K timelapse movies in post.
- RAW flexibility: shoot 45.4 MP RAW size Large, 25.6 MP RAW size Medium, or 11.4 MP RAW size Small (both Medium and Small are 12-bit lossless compressed).
- Any environment: extensive weather sealing readies the D850 for harsh environments. The same full-button illumination seen on Nikon’s D5 ensures easy handling under the blanket of night.
- Fast storage media: a dual card slot unit enables use of a UHS-II SD card and an XQD card—the fastest combination possible.
After testing out at the press launch yesterday I am absolutely blown away by its capabilities. What impressed me most was the versatility of the liveview screen. Its tilt is the same as the D750, but now with added touch sensitivity you can focus and take the photo in the same screen press. It also supports up to 6FPS silent continuous shooting in liveview mode, with real-time reviewing as it's shooting. It looks like a slowed down video, but it's shooting at 45MP! That's insane!
The focusing is extremely quick and accurate. It's light at 915g (body only) only 35g more than the Nikon D810 and 325g lighter than the Nikon's flagship D5, from which it borrows the EXPEED 5 image-processing engine (and autofocusing system).
The button illumination on the back side of the D850 makes it perfect for after dark shooting, and its ISO handling seems impressive, although I've yet to really put this to the test. The sub-selector on the rear is in the same spot as the D5 but is a new addition to the D800 pedigree. I found it very fast to move the AF points around and is a welcomed addition to the back of the camera for me.
Overall I'm extremely impressed with this camera, and I'm struggling to find another manufacturer that can compete with it in its class. The closest I can think of is the Sony A9 but the lens selection and additional features on the Nikon far excel the Sony.
I'm a D750 owner and was an early adopter of the system, and have always said that I want a D750 (tilting screen and all) with higher res, better features and more intuitive controls, as well as a quieter shutter for weddings etc. Well, it seems Nikon are telepathic because this camera is everything I wanted and MORE. I cannot wait to get my own in the post, but for now just rest assured that it's a real beast. Oh but, you'll want to use fast cards if you don't want to wait around for a few minutes for it to write the images.